The Mathematical Philosophy Of Bertrand Russell Origins And Development

by Ivor Grattan-Guinness Until twenty years ago the outline history of logicism was well known. Frege had had the important ideas, until he was eclipsed by Wittgenstein. Russell was important in publicising the former and tutoring the latter, and also for working with Moore in the conversion of British philosophy from neo-Hegelianism to the new analytic tradition in the 1900s, but his own work on logic and especially logicism was very muddled. Around that time Russell, who was still alive, sold his manuscripts to McMaster University in Canada, and interest in his achievements in logic began to develop, especially after his death in 1970. Scholars found thousands of folios of unpublished holograph awaiting their attention, and also hundreds of pertinent letters (both in the Russell Archives and elsewhere in certain recipients' collections). Various facets of his work came to light for the first time, and others -which could have been gleaned from carefully reading of the published sources- gained new publicity from the evidence revealed in manuscripts. Even the technical passage work, which constitutes the unread majority of the Principia mathematica (1910-13) of Russell and Whitehead, began to receive a little respectful scrutiny. It turned out that Russell had done several pioneering things. While indeed often incoherent in reference and content, they comprised major forays into the new mathematical logic, of which he turned out to be a major founder: some are even of interest to modem studies.

by Ivor Grattan-Guinness Until twenty years ago the outline history of logicism was well known. Frege had had the important ideas, until he was eclipsed by Wittgenstein. Russell was important in publicising the former and tutoring the latter, and also for working with Moore in the conversion of British philosophy from neo-Hegelianism to the new analytic tradition in the 1900s, but his own work on logic and especially logicism was very muddled. Around that time Russell, who was still alive, sold his manuscripts to McMaster University in Canada, and interest in his achievements in logic began to develop, especially after his death in 1970. Scholars found thousands of folios of unpublished holograph awaiting their attention, and also hundreds of pertinent letters (both in the Russell Archives and elsewhere in certain recipients' collections). Various facets of his work came to light for the first time, and others -which could have been gleaned from carefully reading of the published sources- gained new publicity from the evidence revealed in manuscripts. Even the technical passage work, which constitutes the unread majority of the Principia mathematica (1910-13) of Russell and Whitehead, began to receive a little respectful scrutiny. It turned out that Russell had done several pioneering things. While indeed often incoherent in reference and content, they comprised major forays into the new mathematical logic, of which he turned out to be a major founder: some are even of interest to modem studies.

by Ivor Grattan-Guinness Until twenty years ago the outline history of logicism was well known. Frege had had the important ideas, until he was eclipsed by Wittgenstein. Russell was important in publicising the former and tutoring the latter, and also for working with Moore in the conversion of British philosophy from neo-Hegelianism to the new analytic tradition in the 1900s, but his own work on logic and especially logicism was very muddled. Around that time Russell, who was still alive, sold his manuscripts to McMaster University in Canada, and interest in his achievements in logic began to develop, especially after his death in 1970. Scholars found thousands of folios of unpublished holograph awaiting their attention, and also hundreds of pertinent letters (both in the Russell Archives and elsewhere in certain recipients' collections). Various facets of his work came to light for the first time, and others -which could have been gleaned from carefully reading of the published sources- gained new publicity from the evidence revealed in manuscripts. Even the technical passage work, which constitutes the unread majority of the Principia mathematica (1910-13) of Russell and Whitehead, began to receive a little respectful scrutiny. It turned out that Russell had done several pioneering things. While indeed often incoherent in reference and content, they comprised major forays into the new mathematical logic, of which he turned out to be a major founder: some are even of interest to modem studies.

Not to be confused with the philosophy of mathematics, mathematical philosophy is the structured set of rules that govern all existence. Or, in a word: logic. While this branch of philosophy threatens to be an intimidating and abstract subject, it is one that is surprisingly simple and necessarily sensible, particularly at the pen of writer Bertrand Russell, who infuses this work, first published in 1919, with a palpable and genuine desire to assist the reader in understanding the principles he illustrates. Anyone interested in logic and its development and application here will find a comprehensive and accessible account of mathematical philosophy, from the idea of what numbers actually are, through the principles of order, limits, and deduction, and on to infinity. British philosopher and mathematician BERTRAND ARTHUR WILLIAM RUSSELL (1872-1970) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Among his many works are Why I Am Not a Christian (1927), Power: A New Social Analysis (1938), and My Philosophical Development (1959).

In this excellent book Sebastien Gandon focuses mainly on Russell's two major texts, Principa Mathematica and Principle of Mathematics , meticulously unpicking the details of these texts and bringing a new interpretation of both the mathematical and the philosophical content. Winner of The Bertrand Russell Society Book Award 2013.

Bertrand Russell's survey of nearly seventy years of his own work is one of the most illuminating books. It is a masterpiece of philosophical autobiography. This edition includes a new introduction by Thomas Baldwin, University of Cambridge.

Not to be confused with the philosophy of mathematics, mathematical philosophy is the structured set of rules that govern all existence. Or, in a word: logic. While this branch of philosophy threatens to be an intimidating and abstract subject, it is one that is surprisingly simple and necessarily sensible, particularly at the pen of writer Bertrand Russell, who infuses this work, first published in 1919, with a palpable and genuine desire to assist the reader in understanding the principles he illustrates. Anyone interested in logic and its development and application here will find a comprehensive and accessible account of mathematical philosophy, from the idea of what numbers actually are, through the principles of order, limits, and deduction, and on to infinity. British philosopher and mathematician BERTRAND ARTHUR WILLIAM RUSSELL (1872-1970) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950. Among his many works are Why I Am Not a Christian (1927), Power: A New Social Analysis (1938), and My Philosophical Development (1959).

Groundbreaking in its day the aim of this fantastic, if dated book by renowned philosopher Bertrand Russell is nothing less than to demonstrate that all of mathematics is describable by a single system of logic. It does so in a way which, while not simplistic, is still accessible to anyone willing to put in some thought. A foundation in logic and philosophy would certainly be a help when reading this book however. This approach was later demonstrated to be impossible, with Kurt Godel's incompleteness theorems proving that for any consistent logical system there are some problems which cannot be solved within that system. Godel's work would not have been the same without these earlier attempts however, so they provide an essential context for understanding these later developments. This does not mean that Russell's work is devoid of insight or use for its own sake however, as most of the individual sections as well as the history of mathematical philosophy are very valuable. Those whose interest is piqued by this book may wish to move on to Russell and Whitehead's Principia Mathematica for a more difficult and in depth work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.